for the disposal of waste matter from the city of Jerusalem, including the bodies of animals and even of vile criminals not accorded a normal burial due to being thought unworthy of a resurrection. (At Matthew 5:30, The New Testament in Modern English by J. B. Philips translates geʹen·na as “rubbish heap.”)

SYMBOLIC OF COMPLETE DESTRUCTION

It is, at any rate, clear that Jesus used Gehenna as representative of utter destruction resulting from adverse judgment by God, hence with no resurrection to life as a soul being possible. (Matt. 10:28; Luke 12:4, 5) The scribes and Pharisees as a wicked class were denounced as ‘subjects for Gehenna.’ (Matt. 23:13-15, 33) So as to avoid such destruction, Jesus’ followers were to get rid of anything causing spiritual stumbling, the ‘cutting off of a hand or foot’ and the ‘tearing out of an eye’ figuratively representing the elimination of things that they prized or considered desirable and intimately close to them.—Matt. 18:9; Mark 9:43-47; compare Matthew 5:27-30.

Jesus also apparently alluded to Isaiah 66:24 in describing Gehenna as a place “where their maggot does not die and the fire is not put out.” (Mark 9:47, 48) That the symbolic picture here is not one of torture but, rather, of complete destruction is evident from the fact that the Isaiah text dealt, not with persons who were alive, but with the “carcasses of the men that were transgressing” against God. If, as the available evidence indicates, the Valley of Hinnom was a place for the disposal of garbage and carcasses, fire, perhaps increased in intensity by the addition of sulphur (compare Isaiah 30:33), would be the only suitable means to eliminate such refuse. Where the fire did not reach, worms or maggots would breed, consuming anything not destroyed by the fire. On this basis, Jesus’ words would mean that the destructive effect of God’s adverse judgment would not cease until complete destruction was attained.

FIGURATIVE USE

The disciple James’ use of the word Gehenna shows that an unruly tongue can inflame a whole world of people and that one’s whole round of living can be affected by fiery words that defile the speaker’s body, inflaming it to destructive action. Such one’s tongue, “full of death-dealing poison” and denoting a bad heart condition, can cause the user to be sentenced by God to go to the symbolic Gehenna.—Jas. 3:6, 8; compare Matthew 12:37; Psalm 5:9; 140:3; Romans 3:13.

The Biblical use of Gehenna as a symbol corresponds to that of the “lake of fire” in the book of Revelation.—Rev. 20:14, 15; see LAKE OF FIRE.

GELILOTH

(Gel·iʹloth) [circles of stones].

A site listed in connection with the boundary of Benjamin. (Josh. 18:17) Geliloth’s location, described as “in front of the ascent of Adummim,” matches that of Gilgal (Josh. 15:7), for which reason most scholars consider it a variant name for the Gilgal near Jericho.—See ADUMMIN; GILGAL No. 1.

GEMALLI

(Ge·malʹli) [camel owner].

A Danite whose son Ammiel represented his tribe as one of the spies sent into Canaan.—Num. 13:12, 16.

GEMARIAH

(Gem·a·riʹah) [Jehovah has perfected].

1. “The son of Shaphan the copyist”; one of the princes during the reign of Jehoiakim (628-618 B.C.E.). Gemariah had his own dining room in the upper courtyard of the temple, and it was here that Baruch read aloud the words of the book dictated to him by the prophet Jeremiah. Micaiah the son of Gemariah heard the initial reading of the book and then reported the word of Jehovah to the princes who, in turn, sent for Baruch to have the book read to them. Upon hearing the words of the book, they advised that Baruch and Jeremiah conceal themselves. Later, when the roll was read to King Jehoiakim, Gemariah was one of the princes who pleaded with the king not to burn the roll.—Jer. 36:10-25.

2. “The son of Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah the king of Judah sent to Babylon to Nebuchadnezzar.” On this occasion Jeremiah sent a letter by the hand of Gemariah and of Elasah to the exiled Jews who had been taken to Babylon with Jehoiachin (Jeconiah) in 617 B.C.E.—Jer. 29:1-3.

GENEALOGY

An account of human family pedigrees of ancestors or relatives. Jehovah God is the great Genealogist or Keeper of records of creation, beginnings, birth and descent. He is “the Father, to whom every family in heaven and on earth owes its name.” (Eph. 3:14, 15) Accordingly, we may expect his Word the Bible to contain an accurate record of genealogies that play an important part in his purpose.

Man has an inborn desire to know his ancestry and to keep his family name alive. Many ancient nations kept extensive genealogical records, particularly of the lines of their priests and kings. The Egyptians kept such registers, as did the Arabs. Cuneiform tablets have been found of the genealogies of kings of Babylon and Assyria. More recent examples are the genealogical lists of the Greeks, the Celts, the Saxons and the Romans.

The apostle Matthew opens his Gospel account with the introduction: “The book of the history [ge·neʹse·os] of Jesus Christ, son of David, son of Abraham.” (Matt. 1:1) The Greek word ge·neʹse·os means, literally, “the book of source (generation).” This Greek term is used by the Septuagint to translate the Hebrew toh·le·dhohthʹ, which has the same basic meaning, and evidently denotes “history” in its numerous occurrences in the book of Genesis.

Matthew, of course, gives more than a genealogy of Christ. He goes on to relate the history of Jesus’ human birth, his ministry, death and resurrection. This practice was not uncommon then, for the earliest Greek histories had a genealogical framework. In those ancient times a history revolved around those persons contained in or introduced by its genealogy. Thus the genealogy was an important part of the history, in many cases forming the introduction to it.—See First Chronicles, chapters 1 to 9.

At the judgment in Eden, God gave the promise of the “woman’s” seed that was to crush the serpent’s head. (Gen. 3:15) This may have given rise to the idea of the seed’s having a human line of descent, although it was not specifically stated that the seed would travel an earthly course until Abraham was told that his seed would be the means for blessing all nations. (Gen. 22:17, 18) This made the family genealogy of Abraham’s line of surpassing importance. The Bible is the only record of Abraham’s origins, and not only of his, but also of all the nations descending from Noah’s sons Shem, Ham and Japheth.—Gen. 10:32.

As E. J. Hamlin comments in The Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible (Vol. 3, p. 515), the Genesis table of nations is “unique in ancient literature. . . . Such preoccupation with history cannot be found in any other sacred literature of the world.”

PURPOSE OF GENEALOGICAL RECORDS

Over and above the natural inclination of man to keep a record of birth and relationships, genealogy was important to chronology, particularly in the earliest part of mankind’s history. But more than that, due to God’s promises, prophecies and dealings, a record of certain lines of descent became essential.

Following the flood, Noah’s blessing pointed out that Shem’s descendants would be divinely favored. (Gen. 9:26, 27) Later, God revealed to Abraham that what would be called his “seed” would be through Isaac. (Gen. 17:19; Rom. 9:7) It became obvious,